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How to get Asian Maps (Singapore) installed on the Edge?

TFK
over 3 years ago
Product: Edge 830 & 1030 Plus (Purchased on 11.12.2020 in Singapore)
To be used in Singapore 
I would like to explain my main activity and troubleshooting attempts for the last two days to you:
 
1) First attempt to use a Garmin Edge 830 (purchased at Amazon SG)
I have purchased a Garmin Edge 830 Bundle at Amazon SG. An essential part of the product is the Garmin GPS Map and navigation. I found out that the product was shipped from the US and I have received it in fine condition. 
 
But when trying to set-up the device I have realised that only US maps are installed on it. I tried to troubleshoot it myself and I have spent hours googling for a solution. Tried Garmin Connect on my iPhone 11pro and Garmin Express on my Mac to get the missing Singapore/Asian Maps installed. But after hours of failed troubleshooting, I have contacted Garmin support and chatted online with a gentleman there, he said that Garmin Maps are always preloaded based on the place of purchase and this can't be changed. 
 
Well, I have purchased it in Singapore (Amazon SG) and as the device was shipped out of US I assume that's why no Singapore maps but US Maps are installed. The gentleman from the support told me there is no way to get the maps installed, I have to buy it locally in Singapore from an authorized dealer to get the right product for me. So I will be shipping the Edge 830 back and hope Amazon will refund 100%.
 
2) Second attempt to use a Garmin Edge 1030 Plus (locally purchased) 
Following the gentleman's advice, I went on Friday (11.12.) to a local bike shop in Singapore. They only had one EDGE 1030 Plus left on stock. I explained my situation to the lady there, she said that the Edge will be preloaded with local Singapore maps, so no problem... Happily, I bought the Edge 1030 Plus locally in Singapore and went home doing the installation (BTW and paid much for it just to get it resolved). 
 
Now I had basically all maps preinstalled but NOT the Asian maps neither a Singapore map. I whatsapped the lady at the store (she was extremely helpful) and we have tried some troubleshooting over the phone until late Friday night ...  
 
I was still not able to install local Maps (neither Asian nor Singapore). 
 
Tried several different modes of factory reset and app deletion and paired it as follows over and over again: 
 
1) Phone Bluetooth Remove 830 and 1030 plus 
2) Go outside to a field to make sure I had GPS connectivity 
3) Garmin unit factory reset setting 
4) Garmin connect app installation and added device + 1030+
5) Garmin head unit starts to do a Bluetooth pairing - all completed successfully
 
But still no local maps - Singapore is basically shown at the lower tip of Malaysia in blue waters...
 
6) Install Garmin express on PC
7) Tried to update available maps - only routable Cycle map of Europe, South America, United States, Australia and New Zealand are available. Asian maps is not shown. 
8) Tried to install Australia in the hope Singapore would appear - but negative) 
 
Went to bed helpless 
 
9) had an idea when I woke up --> as I'm using the German iPhone App store to download the connect app, I thought it might be app store related. So I started from the beginning, deleted the Connect app, changed to the Singaporean App store and downloaded the connect app again. I repeated the whole procedure again but still no Asian maps available...
 
3) What can I do next?
Please can any of you help me to get Singapore maps? Respectively the local Asian maps installed? Maybe someone can simply email me the map file (.img) and I can drop it in the Garmin folder after connecting to my Mac. 
 
Please help - this is really frustrating... 
 
I am really wondering why Garmin is pursuing such an old fashioned product strategy. I mean in the age we live in, we are used to having one device working globally with e.g. google maps seamlessly connected across devices leading to an extremely smooth user experience. To me, it feels that Garmin is still stuck in the "old" century with that policy...
 
#Frustrating ;-) 
  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to dpawlyk

    Anyway to download these without a PC? I only have my work computer and it will not allow anything to be plugged in the USB ports. I just moved to Singapore this week and can't figure out how to get local maps downloaded on my Edge 1030P. 

    Any advice would be very appreciated. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Paul

    The Garmin maps need a PC. You might be able to borrow one or have a co-worker/friend do it.

    You could use a phone for non-Gatmin maps.

    The maps are just *. img files that get copied to \Garmin. The Garmins are (more or less) an External USB drive.

    The 1030+ doesn't use  microSD cards (that's another other for other models).

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to Paul

    Garmin APAC Customer Service
    9 Ubi Crescent postcode 408572
    +65 63370177

    Viyen Chen - Product Support
    She has been very helpful... 

    You can ask them if they will install it for you. They do this FOC if you explain them your problem... 
    I can email it to you too, but without PC you cannot get it onto your Garmin. 
    Cheers

     

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to TFK

    Hi. Can you email me the Singapore maps too? I just bought one but it came pre-installed with Thailand maps. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to TFK

    Are you able to search for an address in the Singapore map?

    I get prompted to enter a state so when I enter Singapore it returns No results found.

    I can see a list of POI's which are routable but an address search is what I require

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    I couldn’t agree with you more. After being a lifelong Garmin user, I’m switching to Hammerhead Karoo 2, which can load routes and maps from anywhere in the world easily.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to TFK

    I disagree, Singapore user here too. Despite what you paid for, sometimes things might not work out and it doesn't mean that you got a lemon. It's actually super easy = literally drag and drop, and you get better maps than the Garmin ones. Answering one of your probes on a preference for Garmin supplied maps, have you checked out official third-party OSM maps on https://download.bbbike.org/osm/bbbike/Singapore/ yet? Because damn they work way better than the proprietary maps from Garmin and have a more sleek design interface/UX.

    On a separate topic, I realise that many Singapore users tend to buy things that they think are rated/suited for Singapore, and get so flustered when not. Do you know that consumer electronic companies like to rebrand their product boxes to be 'specific to Singapore' and just charge you higher? I think common convention here is that people just think pay money and done, you know.

    I bought an APAC set without pre-installed Singapore maps too, because I was aware that the Singapore device can't install other maps that easily, and Convergent (I think) actually region-locks the device as the local distributor and make your life extremely hard for you to install other country's maps when you go travel. When the maps are already available for FREE, why not just figure out how to do so. No harm actually! Blush

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to edhoss

    Download the OpenTopoMap (latin1) in 16M on https://download.bbbike.org/osm/bbbike/Singapore/. Drag and drop the gmapsupp file into your Garmin folder when plugged the device into your comp. Super easy. Can even rename as 'gmapbmap' to help your device remember it as the base map.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to 7643883

    Thank you so much for the advice! This worked so easily! 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to 9028689

    No worries! Because I was really frustrated when I read the tone of the starting message and how some people on this forum sounding a bit too expectant and sitting cushy after dropping money on Edge products - and literally expecting things to drop from the sky. On top of that Convergent Systems in Singapore are damn terrible, manned by old tech dinosaur folk (not sorry), and they charge like $40 for something you can get for free. The injustice made me scourge the net to find this quick hack.